Disney sends cease and desist to ByteDance over Seedance 2.0 AI

Disney has issued a cease and desist letter to ByteDance over its Seedance 2.0 AI video platform. The media giant is accusing the tool of using copyrighted characters from Star Wars and Marvel without permission.

The Motion Picture Association has backed the move, calling the platform a massive unauthorized use of US works. Seedance 2.0 has gone viral with deepfake-style clips, including a Tom Cruise versus Brad Pitt fight or alternate endings to Stranger Things.

It’s apparent that the software is blurring the lines between official content and AI-generated deep fakes. According to Disney’s legal team, the platform treats protected content as if it were free clip art.

Needless to say, this raises concerns about realistic AI-generated content that could impact the entertainment industry. Granted, this is not Disney’s first move against AI platforms.

The company earlier pressured Google to block prompts that use its characters in Gemini. It also signed a $1 billion licensing deal with OpenAI to allow its characters to appear in the video app Sora.

The contradictory approach highlights how entertainment companies are trying to control their IP properties in the world of AI-generated content. Thus, pushing back against unauthorized use while also looking for ways to profit from the technology